Shooting Blind
by Bookdancer
Summary: AU: Kili didn't manage to escape being born prematurely without any repercussions. Now, he must find his way in a world that doesn't have a clue about what to do with a blind dwarf who wishes to be an archer.
1. Prologue

_Okay, so first off I must warn you that this story is not yet completed, so anyone who has read any of my previous fics like this know that it may take a while for updates. It could be anywhere from one day to eight months, though I really would like to avoid the latter._

_Anyway, this fic will most likely occur in different periods of Kili's life. For example, this one happens directly after he's born, but the next chapter may be when he's four, five, six, at any age, really. Also, for the dwarves ages, I decided to go with the popular theme of the dwarflings growing mentally and physically like a human at first and then slowing down around, say, age twelve. So that's how it's gonna be for this fic, 'kay?_

_I don't own _The Hobbit_, no matter how much I would enjoy it._

_Hope you enjoy the first segment!_

Shooting Blind

Thorin jerked his head up from where he was sitting next to Fili, the five year old's head resting against his side as he slept. The king with no kingdom allowed his gaze to rest on Oin, a healer who had traveled to the Blue Mountains with Thorin after Erebor was taken from them. The healer looked back at Thorin with a sadness in his eyes that caused Thorin to suspect the worse, and he stood abruptly, holding Fili in his arms without waking the dwarfling.

"… Dis?" Thorin managed to say, and Oin nodded his head, a glimmer of relief in his eyes behind the sadness.

"Alive. … But Thorin, the babe…" The older dwarf's voice trailed off, and he stepped aside from the door as to allow Thorin to pass into his sister's room.

The black haired dwarf stepped in hesitantly, tightening his grip on his nephew in trepidation. What would he find in the dark room?

His blue eyes caught the sight of Dis sitting in her bed, sobs wracking her body with every breath as she clutched onto a small bundle wrapped in soft brown blankets. Her head was bowed over the babe, black, disheveled hair hiding her face from sight. The midwife, a short dwarf by the name of Arla, left the bedroom, passing Thorin and giving him a sympathetic look that barely masked her own grief.

"Dis?" Thorin questioned, moving closer to the bed. He paused just long enough to set Fili down in a chair in the corner before sitting on the edge of the blue and gold blankets, peering into his younger sister's arms to get a glimpse of the babe she had brought into the world.

She wrenched her head up in a sudden, swift movement that startled Thorin, and he flinched backward at the look on her face. It was one of pure, unadulterated grief, and her eyes, normally a bright blue that matched her son's, were red from the tears that trickled down her cheeks into her beard.

Still, Thorin wasn't sure what, exactly, he was missing. The babe seemed to be fine – or at least alive – as it was feebly moving its fingers, reaching out into the air to grip something, anything, that it would be able to hold onto and not let go. Thorin gave it – most likely a him, if he wasn't mistaken – his finger, holding it in front of the babe's finger for him to grip. There was no movement except for another wiggling of the fingers and then a shrill, loud cry erupted, dark brown eyes staring at nothing as he- Thorin's heart almost stopped just then. Staring at nothing. The babe was staring at _nothing_.

"No." He choked out, raising his head to look at his sister, her own head nodding as she clutched the babe even closer to her chest. Another wail came from the tiny prince, and Thorin instinctively moved his finger into the grip of the dark haired babe, said babe's crying stopping almost immediately as he got a response.

There was movement from behind the two siblings as Fili was roused from his sleep, and the sleepy bairn stumbled to his mother and uncle, peering up at them in confusion.

"Mama? … Uncle? … What's-" That was when the blond caught sight of his new baby brother. "Kili? Is that Kili?" And, indeed, that was the babe's name. Thorin vaguely recalled Dis and her husband, Ganar, agreeing on the name if the babe was to be a boy. Fili had been adamant on that fact, saying he just knew that he would be receiving a baby _brother_, not a sister, and his parents had not had the heart to argue with him.

Fili raised his arms upward, and Thorin retrieved him with one arm, scooping him up and placing him carefully onto the bed. The blond settled down between his mother and uncle, craning his neck to get a good glimpse of his new baby brother.

"Hi, Kili!" He chirped. "I'm your big brother, and I'm gonna take care of you. We're gonna have so much fun!" Kili's head moved in the direction of Fili's voice and, for the first time since his discovery, Thorin felt a brief spark of hope erupt in his chest. Still, when Fili innocently asked why Kili wouldn't properly look at him, Thorin couldn't help his somber reply.

"He's blind, Fili." The King Under the Mountain replied. "Kili is blind."

_Alright, so what'd you guys think of for the first chapter? I'm actually pretty proud of it for something that's been written out in about forty minutes, but ya never know. Also, this is unbetaed, so any mistakes I make are my own._

_Oh yeah, and the reason all of the dwarves are acting like they are is because this is Middle Earth, so a blind dwarf wouldn't exactly have a fantastic future planned out for him._

_Please review!_


	2. Chapter One

_Okay, so I'm happy to say that, although it wasn't a day, it also didn't take me eight months to update. Also, I'm not completely sure about this yet, but I think I'm going to have each chapter from the POV of a different dwarf (and eventually Gandalf and Bilbo). For example, the last chapter was Thorin, and this chapter is Ori. Yes, this is from the POV of Ori. Anyway, to:_

_everyone who reviewed, followed, and/or favorited- Thanks so much! I really appreciate it, especially as this is technically my first Hobbit fic. (As crossovers don't exactly count, and even so it was only one.)_

_xXxSimonexXx- Same here, and thanks!_

_lokkish- You'll see. :D_

_starkling- Yeah, pretty much. I'm actually kind of making this up as I go along, so... I guess we'll see. :P_

_Mzzmarie- Thanks!_

_shinyadoll- Sure! I'd be delighted to. :D_

_PrincessMeowKitty1889- You have such a cute profile pic! Sorry, just had to mention it. It's adorable! :) And thanks!_

_I do not own The Hobbit._

Shooting Blind: Chapter One

"Kili!" Ori called, beginning to get slightly nervous. "Kili, where are you?"

The young dwarf, a teenager in human years, carefully and meticulously searched for the dwarfling. He had already found Fili hiding beneath the bed, but he was having trouble finding the five year old. Everyone usually did, but this was Ori's first time babysitting for Dis, and he thought that, as he was exceptionally well at seeking in Hide and Seek, he would be able to find the brunette rather easily. So far, he had been proven wrong.

Apparently, even being blind had not hindered Kili in hiding like it would other dwarflings. Dori and Nori had both warned Ori that the young bairn knew his home like a dwarf knew their forge, and that Kili would not hesitate to climb, crawl, jump, or do anything short of risking his brother's safety to reach the perfect hiding spot. Each time someone was foolish enough to play Hide and Seek with Kili, he would have a new spot ready to hide in – this way, no one could tell others his hiding spots.

Personally, Ori had no idea how Kili did it. If he were blind… Durin, he couldn't imagine it! Of course, he had grown up with the ability to see, but even then… he actually suspected that, somehow, Kili had better senses than other dwarves. Not like the elves, but as he was blind, the bairn had been forced to rely more on his other senses. He had perfected his hearing as best he could, and already knew the texture of all of the rugs, carpets, flooring, and anything else in Ered Luin.

Still, despite being well adapted to his condition, Ori knew that Kili wouldn't be like the other dwarflings. There were none as young as Kili, though apparently Gloin would be having a babe soon, and there had only ever been three blind dwarves. The only one who had turned out even close to normal had been the female, and even she had been forced to stay at home and forego weapon training. The other two, both males, had died before the age of ninety-five. One had perished in an orc raid, the other in a fire.

Even so, there was hope among the dwarves. Kili was no less lively than he would be had he had his sight, and Fili had proudly informed his uncle and Dwalin that he thought his younger brother would be able to start weapons training at the regular age of eight.

Ori sighed, pushing his thoughts from his head. They would be of no help in finding Kili, so why think them at all?

"Ori!" Fili's voice echoed throughout the house, and the older dwarf hurried upstairs from where he had heard it.

"Yes, Fili?" He asked anxiously, still thinking about Kili.

The blond dwarfling swallowed nervously, pointing outside. "You forgot to say we couldn't go outside."

Ori closed his eyes in terror before opening them and shakily crossing Fili and Kili's bedroom to peer out of the window. There, outside and clutching to the branches of a tree, was little Kili. Now, this normally wouldn't be a problem, despite the height, as it hadn't been raining when the dwarfling climbed out of the window and carefully made his way through the branches to the other side of the tree, but there were two problems. Actually, three.

One: While it hadn't been raining earlier, it certainly was now, and the bark of the tree was slick with rain. The wind had also picked up and was whipping branches and leaves about, some hitting Kili in their frenzy.

Two: Kili was blind, and one misstep would send him plummeting to the ground below.

And three: Ori couldn't climb trees, let alone rescue a small, terrified dwafling who was desperately clutching the tree trying not to let go and fall.

"Durin help us." Ori prayed.

"Ori?" Fili asked.

"Ori! Fili!" Kili screamed in terror at hearing their voices, obviously having stayed silent in the knowledge that neither would hear him earlier.

Ori gulped, only having an inkling of what the youngest of their current company was feeling. As he was blind, he would be completely surrounded by darkness, and with the wind pushing him, the rain spraying him, and branches and leaves hitting him as they swirled around in the air, Kili must have been terrified.

"Fili." Ori finally said, stealing himself for what he knew must happen. "Run and find Mister Dwalin in the forge. He'll be closest, and he'll hopefully have Balin with him. But please, for Aule's sake, be careful!"

Fili gave a short nod and then left, yelling at Kili to let his younger brother know he was getting help. Ori could only thank Aule that the blond dwarfling understood how serious the situation was at the moment. Still, he didn't move until he saw that Fili was out of the room and he heard footsteps thumping down the stairs.

"Kili." He began, begging his voice to stop shaking for once in his life. "I'm going to help you, but you need to do as I say. Alright?"

"Okay." Kili's voice would have been tiny, even without the wind and rain, and Ori didn't even hear it, only managing to catch the miniscule movement of his lips.

"Okay. I'm going to come to you, okay? Just stay still. I'm going to keep talking so you know where I am, but I need you to stay still. No matter what, don't move."

This time Kili didn't even grant Ori with the sound of his voice, only giving a tiny nod and tightening his grip on the tree. Ori gritted his teeth, shoving the already open window up even more, wondering how he hadn't guessed Kili's position what with the wind. He placed one foot on the windowsill and held onto the window frame as tight as he could, imitating Kili's own grip. Climbing trees was easy, right? The elves did it all the time, and apparently so did Kili.

_But you're not an elf or Kili._

The voice echoed in the back of his head, and Ori shoved it back, refusing to listen. Besides, now was as good a time to learn as any, right? And, with that, Ori lifted his other foot and stepped out onto the first branch.

It creaked a little, not used to the heavy weight of a dwarf, and Ori froze in fear before remembering his promise to keep talking.

"You're doing great, Kili." He soothed. "And you know what? Mister Dwalin's coming. He should be bringing Balin as well, which means we'll be getting a good story once we're all inside. Thorin may even grace us with his presence." Ori took another step, holding tightly to the tree with both hands as he looked at Kili. "I may even be able to make some hot chocolate, if I can find any chocolate."

Two more steps took him even closer to the scared bairn, and Ori's heart was almost in his throat. What ifs danced in his head. What if the branch Kili was on broke? What if the branch he was on broke? What if Kili lost his balance? What if he couldn't make it to Kili? What if, what if, what if? What if I don't manage to rescue Kili? The last one shoved all of the other what ifs out of the way, and Ori set his jaw, determined. He would make it, and he would rescue Kili, and Kili would be safe – albeit a couple scrapes and bruises.

"That's it." Ori continued. "Chocolate sounds great, doesn't it? A nice fire would be good, too. And- there!" Ori gasped. He finally stood on the branch in front of Kili's, both dwarves clinging to the tree. "C'mere, Kili." He murmured, reaching for Kili.

At that moment, a particularly strong gust of wind blew past, detaching Kili's grip from the tree. Ori watched in horror as the dwarfling wobbled once, twice, and then Ori was grabbing Kili from his branch, holding him tight. They were stumbling through the branches, Kili's cries echoing in Ori's ears, his tears joining the rain as they soaked through the older dwarf's jerkin.

Dwalin, Balin, Thorin, and Fili barged into the room as Ori reached the window, and Thorin strod across the room in four quick strides, taking his nephew from Ori's arms.

"Thank you." Thorin breathed, hugging Kili close as the bairn continued to cry. "Thank you, Ori. Thank you so much."

Dwalin grunted, and Balin was quick to snatch two clean blankets from a hall closet to wrap Kili and Ori in. Ori belatedly realized that he was soaked through to the bone in both rain water and tears, and he gladly accepted the blanket, following Thorin out of the room as he made his way to the living room and roaring fire.

Dis arrived home shortly after from the market, and she hurriedly prepared seven cups of the hot chocolate that Ori had promised Kili. Soon, the little family of four was grouped together on the couch as Dwalin, Balin, and Ori prepared to leave. One final thank you from Dis was all that Ori got before he was stepping outside, grateful that the rain had now slowed to a small trickle. It wasn't until the three were stopping at Ori's home that he spoke.

"Why did they say thank you?" Ori asked in a small voice, keeping his eyes on his boots. "It was my fault that Kili was even in the tree."

"Aye, laddie, but it was also you who got Kili _out_ of the tree." Balin countered. "You managed to keep your head rather well for a dwarf in your situation, and if I'm correct you just climbed your first tree. Well, it wasn't exactly climbing, but I'm certain you've never been in a tree before. Thorin and Dis know that, too, and that, laddie, is why they're thankful. If it were any other dwarf Kili may not have made it. So be proud, because I certainly am."

With that, Dwalin and Balin left Ori on his doorstep, continuing on to their own homes. So Ori thought. And he was proud. He had finally done something right.

_Okay, so when I started writing this I thought it'd be something fluffy. Then Sir Lancelot, my muse, took over. I'm really sorry about this, too. I didn't mean for this to happen, but before I knew it, Kili was stuck in a tree and Ori was going to get him._

_Anyway, please review! I got such a great response from the last chapter and I would love to hear from you guys again!_


	3. Chapter Two

_Ahhhh, I'm back! :D Sorry it took so long, I actually started on the third chapter about a week after publishing the second one, but I made the mistake of letting my sister choose the next dwarf's POV... she choose Oin, and I was really getting into it when I hit a major writer's block. Because of that I've decided to scrap the majority of what I had for now and do... well, a different dwarf instead. :P Anyway, to:_

_everyone who reviewed, followed, and/or favorites- Thanks so much! I love how you're all supportive!_

_PrincessMeowKitty1889- Thanks, and yeah, I just had to have some form of a babysitter somewhere in the story with hide and seek, and who better than Ori? And no problem!_

_Kili's girl forever- Thanks, I hope so, too!_

_Omgu8mynewt- Haha, love your username (and sorta your profile pic- I'm not the biggest fan of Wolverine, but I usually like any superhero with the exception of Mockingbird, Wonder Woman, and Zatanna). And no, thank you._

_And I've just realized that you guys have no idea what age Kili and Fili are at, so here we are: Kili is seven in dwarf and human years, and Fili is twelve in dwarf and human years._

_I do not own _The Hobbit_._

_Listening to: _One Direction (my latest artist addiction)

Shooting Blind: Chapter Two

When he first met Kili, he didn't know who he was. Of course, he knew who Thorin Oakenshield was, and he knew who Fili was (the dwarfling used to continually visit his shop before starting lessons), and of course, consequentially, he was acquainted with Dis. But, while he had certainly heard of the blind bairn, he had never actually met nor seen him before. That is, until Kili, like his older brother before him, accidentally wandered into his shop after losing sight of his family.

The brown-haired dwarfling hadn't really seemed... well, different. He wasn't like the elder dwarf expected him to be like. Kili was... happier. He didn't seem to really care about being blind, or being, well, unique seems like a good word. So when he first met Bofur, said dwarf didn't really know it was _him_. If he had, things probably would have ended up differently. Kili never would have realized his true dream. And his true dream wasn't what other dwarves thought it to be. Oh no, if anything, Bofur would say that Kili was perfectly happy being blind - preferred it even, if he dared to say so. But it all just happened, and Bofur... well, he was helpless to do anything about it but just... let Kili grow up how he wanted to, doing what he wanted to. And it all just happened, just like... this.

* * *

Bofur glanced up at the sound of his shop's bell rattling loudly, just barely signaling the slamming of the front door that followed. The dwarf grumbled, getting to his feet so he could exit the back room and tell his customer just exactly what he thought of them at that moment, because there were no doubt several items knocked from their shelves, and Bofur had spent the entire morning restocking what had recently been restocked.

All he could think later on was thank Aule that he hadn't opened his mouth to start yelling until actually catching a look at the dwarfling who had interrupted him. The tiny brunette was huddled in a corner under his front window, tears trickling down his cheeks from closed eyes as he hugged his knees to his chest. Bofur's mouth froze with the rest of his body, just barely stopping himself from yelling at the bairn.

"'ello?" Bofur managed to say, taking a couple of steps forward before he finally stood in front of the stranger. He hesitantly crouched down, placing a comforting hand on the other dwarf's shoulder. It didn't take long until he was pulling the younger into his lap as he moved into a sitting position, hesitantly holding the dwarfling as he cried.

In truth, it wasn't really that long until he stopped crying, but Bofur was convinced it was forever. When the bairn finally did stop, Bofur didn't hesitate to pull him to his feet, carefully wiping away all remnants of the tears that had recently been shed. He took his hand and then led him to the back of the shop. The toy maker had been working on a new product that he wasn't all that sure about, but he just had a feeling that this was the dwarf to show it to.

When the new piece was placed in the dwarfling's arms and he ran his hands over it, feeling the grooves from the carvings Bofur had made and the string attached to the wood, Bofur was certain that he was going to die when he saw the smile that came with it. It wasn't a big smile or overexagerated, and it didn't light up the dwarfling's face, but it was small and pure, and that was all that Bofur needed to know the bow had been a success.

"You like it?"

The dwarfling hesitated just a moment before nodding, asking, "What... what is it? What does it do?"

Bofur didn't suspect anything abnormal. A dwarfling his size could easily not have learned about the weapon just yet, as it was commonly called an elf's weapon and not fit for a dwarf. "It's a bow." He explained. "It's a weapon, you can use it for long distance targets. The arrows aren't done quite yet, but once they are I'll put them in their quiver and then they're all set to go. ...How about you come around next week and test it?" Normally he wouldn't do this, but it was supposed to be a dwarfling's bow, one that wasn't meant to be used in battle, and there wasn't really any reason to not test it, and Bofur knew he himself was too large.

Once again, there was a moment of hesitation before the bairn answered. "I... I suppose so." He carefully handed the bow back to Bofur, and the elder gently set it back on its shelf.

"I'll see you in a week then." Bofur replied, maybe a little too cheerfully, but maybe not. It was only when the dwarfling had left that Bofur realized he had forgotten to ask the lad his name.

-ShootingBlind-

In all reality, Bofur really should have known that something would happen. The dwarfling running into his shop crying like he did should have sent off immediate alarm bells through his head, especially when he left without informing Bofur just who he was - something that all dwarflings usually enjoyed.

So, really, the toy maker shouldn't have been surprised when, exactly seven days later, the same dwarfling came through his door. This time, though, he wasn't alone. And the dwarf who was with him didn't look at all happy.

When the bell jingled, Bofur was quick to enter the main part of his store, certain of who it was. And, while he was correct, he certainly wasn't wrong either. And he wasn't sure exactly how his parents made it the age they were at at the moment, because he didn't know how many more surprises he could handle, and his parents had gone through multiple ones curtesy of he and his brother Bombur.

One look was all that it took to recognize the older dwarf standing behind the familiar bairn, a firm hand resting on his shoulder as the dwarfling was guided into the shop. And that was when it all clicked. Why the dwarfling had been crying, why he had asked what the bow was, why he had hesitated to say a simple _yes_. And Bofur was wasn't at all sure if what he was about to was right, because by Durin it was probably the stupidest idea he had ever had, and that was saying something because he had had some pretty stupid ideas before.

Bofur carefully stood before Thorin, knowing he had to phrase this just right, because Kili needed him, of that he was sure, and if he didn't help now he wasn't sure what he could ever do.

"Kili, nice to see you again. You too, Thorin." And he could really smack himself at that moment, because really, how stupid could he get? "If you'll follow me."

"Bofur, I don't have time for this." Thorin interrupted, his hand keeping Kili from moving forward. "You know Kili can't possibly shoot a bow. A sword is hard enough, but a bow? It's impossible."

Bofur stood his ground, unwilling to let Kili leave until Thorin had given him a chance. "I'll admit it, Thorin, I didn't realize it was Kili until just now, but I don't care. I want to see him shoot. If he completely misses, okay, he tried. But I want him to try. ...Please."

-ShootingBlind-

Bofur had no idea how it had come to this. Kili, a blind dwarf, holding a bow with a quiver strapped to his back, a target set up a mere twenty-five feet in front of him. Thorin, standing on the sidelines near Kili, hard brown eyes fixed on his nephew. And himself, a dwarf who could possibly Kili's life forever. All because he had had no clue that the dwarfling who came running into his shop was blind. Because he was stupid enough to stand up to Thorin Oakenshield. And because Kili was willing to try, to not back down from something should have been impossible.

The toy maker took a deep breath and held it, biting his lip as he twisted his latest hat in his hands. All he could do now was watch. Kili had been told where the target was. Twenty-five feet in front of him. A foot above his head. If he couldn't make the shot, he was done. He would never hold a bow in his hands again.

Bofur watched as Kili carefully selected an arrow from his quiver, nocking it on the bow string like he had been told to do. Then he was taking aim, doing his best to steady his aim because he only had the one shot, and this was it. And the arrow was gone, soaring cleanly through the air, and Bofur found himself slowly opening his eyes after involuntarily closing them, and then they were shooting open because Aule are his eyes _working_?

That was when Thorin smiled, a small one, but pure, and Bofur knew that Kili would grow up to be someone truly _big_, because that arrow didn't make it to the target all by itself, and smiles don't just share themselves unless there's a little piece of each dwarf in each other, and if there was some of Kili in Thorin then there had to be some Thorin in Kili.

And Bofur knew that Kili could do it, because he was Kili, and he would have Bofur by his side through it all, because he was the reason Kili was even in this mess. But it wasn't a mess anymore, not really, because it was Kili and he could and would do it.

_Wow, um, this turned out incredibly different from what I imagined. But oh well, because I really like the last paragraphs. Hope you do, too. Sorry again about this being late. And yes, I just had to have Bofur be the reason Kili wants to be an archer. I honestly wasn't sure how it was going to work out, but then I was in the shower and I had the Bofur idea (cause all my great ideas come while in the shower :P), and now this has been written. Hope you enjoyed, and please review!_


	4. Chapter Three

_I am so sorry this chapter is so late. And, just as bad, it's under 600 words. Boo me. Anyway, this chapter is going to be dedicated to _wardog85 _and _SilverWind13_, the only two people who reviewed. Thank you so much for your support. Also __thanks to those who favorited and followed._

_wardog85- Yes, I'm most definitely continuing. I'm not abandoning this fic._

_SilverWind13- Wow. You read my mind. As I've already written the chapter, I swear I didn't realize you were asking for Dwalin, Balin, Dori, or Bombur. But, in all honesty... I started with Bombur, disliked it, and changed it to Dwalin. :P And I'm glad you enjoyed Ori and Bofur!_

_Fili is fourteen in dwarven years but twelve in human years. Kili is nine in dwarven and human years. I do not own _The Hobbit_._

_Hope you guys enjoy._

Shooting Blind: Chapter Three

To be honest, Dwalin wasn't really sure what he was supposed to do. After all, he was a warrior. The dwarf wasn't cut out for this kind of stuff. Still, he supposed he may have made the wrong decision. Just slightly, not really serious... if you thought having a hyper, blind, and normally adventurous bairn wasn't serious. Add in his older brother, who also happened to be hyper, though slightly more mature but every bit as adventurous, into the mix and Dwalin figured giving the two sugar wasn't the smartest decision he could have made. At all. In fact, discounting some mistakes he'd made as a bairn himself, this was probably up there on the 'things I shouldn't have done but did anyway' list.

He stared down the two dwarflings in front of him, both clutching each other's hands and giggling, Kili sensing what was going on though not being able to see. Dwalin couldn't help but crack a grin, a chuckle escaping his lips and sending the younger dwarves into even more hysterical giggles, if that was possible. Which, judging by their laughter, shouldn't have been.

Dwalin could only stay still for another second or two before he lunged, not minding playing dirty as he aimed for Kili, playfully allowing Fili to escape but holding onto the younger brother.

"Fili!" The brunette shrieked loudly, kicking his feet out, barely getting the words out through his giggles. "Fili, help! T-tickles!"

"Oh, no, young dwarves!" Dwalin roared, a smile still fixing his lips in place. He tickled Kili once more before swinging him up and over his shoulder, Kili's shrieks echoing in his ears along with Fili's yells.

The blond tentatively stood up from where he had taken refuge behind the couch, planting his hands on his hips and doing his best to glare at their current caretaker, even though his laughter threatened to take him down faster than Dwalin could. "Put. Him. Down."

Of course, even Fili couldn't hold back his giggles, and he quickly fell prey to them and fell back behind the couch as Dwalin 'stomped' toward him. The eldest dwarf let out a pretend roar as he responded.

"I say no, young Fili! You shall never defeat me! And I have your brother!" Even as he spoke, Dwalin shifted his grip on Kili, beginning to regret his choice on dwarflings as, while Fili was having trouble with his laughter, Kili had no such trouble and no qualms about struggling in Dwalin's grip. "And you, Kili! Stop moving!"

"Never!" Kili yelled, falling into another giggle attack.

At that moment Fili finally came to grip with his giggles as he threw his body at Dwalin's knees, toppling the other dwarf to the ground. With a groan, Dwalin thrashed around in pretend agony as he attempted to fight off the bairns from the ground. The three rolled around on the ground, eventually coming to a halt against the couch and they all sat there, panting and attempting to stop laughing. Dwalin found himself lying with his back to the couch, Fili cuddled into his body as much as the preteen could and Kili fully resting on his chest, clutching Fili's hand in his left.

The last thing he heard as the front door opened was Kili's voice asking, "More sugar?"

_So I really hope you guys enjoyed despite the long wait and short chapter. And please review!_


	5. Chapter Four

_And I'm updating! Whootwhoot! It's only been a day! Actually, not really, since it hasn't been twenty-four hours yet. :D But, unfortunately, it's another chapter under 1k words. I'm really sorry about that. Anyway, to:_

_everyone who reviewed, followed, and/or __favorited- Thanks so much! You guys helped me to update so soon, so everyone give a cheer to them!_

_Oblivian03- It's fine. I understand :) And here you are: a (much :P) faster update, and a longer chapter (even if it's only by about 300 words :( ). This chappie is for you. :D_

_Um, so this is the chapter I got writer's block on before giving you Bofur's chapter. I ended up not removing anything although I thought I would, but it's still pretty awful. And no, it wasn't finished before. I just got stuck._

_Fili is fifteen in dwarven years but twelve in human years. Kili is ten in dwarven and human years._

_I do not own _The Hobbit_, but I hope you enjoy._

Shooting Blind: Chapter Four

"_OIN!_" The voice jolted said dwarf from his sleep, and he was on his feet in an instant, automatically running on adrenaline as he quickly jerked on some clothes and a pair of boots before racing for the door. He wrenched it open, a bad feeling settling in his gut even before he saw who was on the other side. He already knew.

"He's sick!" Thorin breathed heavily, obviously having run the entire way to the healer's home. "Kili's sick, Oin, and… and… and we don't know what to do! We've nev-never seen anything like it."

"Come in." Oin replied, already moving to gather any supplies he would need. "What are the symptoms?"

Thorin paused, taking a moment to catch his breath and think, dark eyebrows narrowing in thought. "Well…" He began slowly. "We thought it was just a regular fever, not very bad. He had a stuffy nose, headache, low temperature, you know – fever. But then he woke up today and he has a red rash covering almost all of his body! We don't know where he got it. I mean, Kili says he's fine, but – he can't even see the rash! Something's wrong!"

Oin breathed a sigh of relief as he dumped all of the supplies he had gathered onto a table and went to a shelf in the very back, retrieving a small bottle and a spoon, hurrying back to Thorin.

"Don't worry, Thorin, he'll be fine." He assured the younger dwarf.

"Are you sure?" Thorin asked anxiously as he followed behind Oin.

Oin sighed mentally. If he was to be truthful, there was nothing that annoyed him more than a worried Thorin when there was nothing to be worrying about. But that didn't mean it wasn't cute. He suddenly grinned, remembering the time Thorin had rushed into his house with Fili in his arms, claiming he had the chicken pox, only to find out Kili had painted red dots onto his older brother while he slept. Oin really thought Thorin would figure it out due to the spots that mysteriously appeared on Fili's bedsheet (even Kili couldn't paint perfectly when he was blind).

"What's so funny?" Thorin demanded, stopping outside the door to his house.

"When Fili had the 'chicken pox'." Oin replied, opening the door and entering.

Dis met him as soon as he was through, grabbing his arm and physically pulling the healer to where Oin knew the boys' bedroom was. When he entered, only one pair of eyes rested on him, and Oin knew even before he saw that they were blue that Fili had joined his brother in bed.

"Fili!" Dis cried, rushing to remove him from the room. "You're not supposed to be in here, you may get sick!"

Oin waved his hands in a calming motion. "Don't worry, Dis, he won't get sick. At least, not from being exposed at this point. If he spent any time with Kili here when he had the low-grade symptoms, then he may get sick. But at this point, he'll be fine. Trust me."

It only took a couple of minutes to coax Kili out from under the covers, mainly by promising him sweets for when he was better ("He will get better, right?" Dis had asked worriedly. "Of course." Oin had replied.). But, once he was out, was when the real fun began.

"Come on, Kili, you want to get better, don't you?" Oin asked.

In response, the dwarfling turned his head away from where he heard Oin's voice. Unfortunately for him, Dis was right in front him, and it only needed a quick switch of who had the medicine that had previously been in Oin's hand before a spoon was being dipped into Kili's mouth. He crinkled his nose in response, obviously not very happy with the taste of the medicine.

"There. Now you're done." Oin said. He quickly motioned for Dis and Thorin to follow him into the living room, where they wouldn't be overheard by overinquisitive ears.

"He should be fine from now on." The healer assured them. "Just make sure to give him the medicine every day around breakfast time, and the rash should be gone in one or two weeks."

"That's it?" Thorin asked. "What is it, anyway?"

"It's erythema infectiosum, also known as the fifth disease." Oin explained. "It's only contagious before the rash appears, so Fili should be fine to spend time with Kili. In fact, he can even go outside if he wants to. There's no need to keep him in bed. And, if you don't mind, I should be getting back to my house in case anyone else comes by."

As he left, Oin couldn't help but shake his head in amusement. Parents and their kids. They had to be the most amusing combination to put together.

_Okay, so this has to be the one chapter that I've spent the most research on during the entire time I've been on FF. And, although you usually let the rash go and heal by it's own, the dwarves obviously don't have as much tech as we do, so I figured healers would think medicine helped._

_Please review!_


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